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§§  AN  ADDEESS  | 


«S  DELTVP-nEB  BEFOnE  THE                                                                J  J 

1  i 

§§  OP  THE 

I  '  ■    '' 
§§  UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH-CAROLINAJI 

II  '  ^1 

§§  BY                                                                         §? 

§§  !f 

§§  ^! 

§§  §§ 

§§  HON.  WILI^IAM  B.  SHEPAKI>,                    §§ 

§§  §§ 

§1  §§ 

u  §§ 

§§  JuiffK   27,  1838.                                                       jj 

§§  -                                                  ff 

§§  §§ 

§§  §§ 

§§  =====                                                 §§ 

§§  §§ 

§§  §§ 

§§  '                         §§ 

If  RALEIGH:                                      ff 

??  PRINTED  AT  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  RALEIGH  REGISTER.  §^ 

§§  ******                                      §§ 

§§  $§ 

^  •^>  <<5>>  i^*  SS^  k:?>  t*^  <<S>)  <<P)  ><P>  v:5S  <<::^  <<?>  ' ''S?^  <^?>  ><Pi  v5^  yp>  v:?! '<S>>  v2>> 'tf^ 


AN  ABBllESS 


DELIVER'ED   BEFOTIETHE 


li^w®  n^niJU^BiUB^ir  g®i^iii^i?nii^ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH-CAROLINA, 


HT 


MOW.  WSl^IilAM  B.  SHEPARIPj 


Ji;xr.  27,  1838, 


RALEIGH; 

PRINTEO  AT  THE  OFFICT,  OF  THE  RALEieH  REGISTER^ 
1S3§. 


Vnlversity  of  Nor  tit- Carolina,  July  2,  1838. 
1)EAR  SIR  : 

The  Philanthropic  Society,  through  us,  their  Committee, 
tender  to  you  their  thanks  for  the  vsry  excellent,  classic,  and  appropriate 
Address,  delivered  before  the  two  Literary  bodies  of  the  University,  on 
the  day  preceding  Commencement,  and  request  of  you  a  copy  for  publi- 
cation. The  importance  of  the  subject  selected  by  you,  in  giving  disci- 
pline to  the  mind  and  increasing  the  store  of  useful  knowledge,  together 
\vith  the  able  manner  in  which  you  have  developed  it,  will,  it  is  hoped, 
justify  the  desire  to  give  publicity  to  the  truths  and  sentiments  contained 
in  the  Address. 

Yours,  respectfully, 

DENNIS  D.  FEREBEE,-) 
OLIVER  H.  PRINCE,     C  Committee. 
THOMAS  H.  SPRUILL.i 
Hoir.  William  B.  Shepard. 


Raleigh,  July  4,  1838. 
GENTLEMEN  : 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  2d,  requesting  a  copy 
of  the  Address  delivered  by  me  before  the  two  Societies  of  Chapol-Hill,  at 
the  Commencement. 

In  complying  with  this  request,  I  must  regret  that  the  Address  is  not 
more  worthy  of  your  flattering  remarks. 
With  respect,  I  remain 

Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  B.  SHEPARD. 
To  Messrs.  Dennis  D.  Fekebee,"^ 

Oliveb,  H.  PniNCE,    C  Commiltee. 
Thomas  H.  Spbcill,  S 


ADDRESS 


Gentlemen  of  the  Philanthropic 

AND  Dialectic  Societies: 

Upon  this  occasion,  in  renewing  my  acquaintance 
with  you,  as  members  of  the  two  Literary  Societies  of 
the  University  of  my  native  State,  it  is  Iraijossible  for 
me  to  repress  the  feelings  of  old  associations,  or  the 
recollection  of  times,  though  long  since  past,  yet  still 
frcsli  in  the  memory.  In  lingering  amidst  these  scenes, 
"  I  can  ne'er  forget  though  here  I  am  forgot,"  imagina- 
tion forcibly  recals  the  joys  and  the  sorrows,  the  friends 
and  the  follies  of  the  sunny  season  of  life.  Let  rae  pay 
a  passing  tribute  of  remembrance  to  the  absent,  while  I 
acknowledge  witli  much  gratification,  the  agreeable  as- 
sociations of  the  present. 

The  scenes  of  a  College  life  leave  perhaps  a  deeper 
and  more  agreeable  impression  upon  our  minds,  than 
any  thing  in  previous  or  future  years.  It  is  there  the 
vista  of  life  first  opens  upon  us,  exkibiting  its  alluring 
prospects,  its  animating  scenes,  and  its  enticing  variety. 
We  bound  from  its  restraints  like  the  well  trained 
courser  panting  for  the  goal,  and  whether  we  have 
missed  or  gained  the  prize,  we  look  back  amidst  the 
petty  strifes  and  low  ambition  of  after  life,  to  our  res- 
idence here,  as  embracing  the  purest  and  happiest  days 
'A'  our  existence. 


4  ADDRESS    DELIVERED    BY 

Within  the  College  walls,  the  first  aspirations  after 
fame  of  the  elastic  and  vigorous  spirit  of  youth,  arc 
breathed  forth;  and  whether  they  arc  mocked  or  reali- 
zed, we  revisit  the  place  of  tlieir  birth  with  feelings 
which,  although  of  a  melancholy  nature,  yet  abound  in 
pleasant  recollections. 

Vie  linger  with  delight  amidst  groves  consecrated  (o 
genius  and  to  science,  wiiere 

Not  a  leal' but  trembling  teeins 

V/i'iIi  youthful  visions  and  romantic  dreiiins. 

We  are  reminded  ateacli  .step  of  some  iilmost  forgoltten 
tale  of  youtlifiil  livalry,  or  pcihans  the  I'emembi-ance 
rushes  upon  us,  of  some  young  friend  sud<Ie!ily  arrest- 
ed in  his  carcei'  of  hope  or  anticipation. 

As  Students,  you  arc  faniiliar  wilh  tlicsc  workings  of 
the  fancy;  detached  by  your  occu])atio;is  from  the  cares 
and  pursuits  of  life,  you  can  exist  for  a  time  in  the  re- 
gions of  the  imagination  j  you  can  look  beyond  the  indul- 
gence of  tlie  appv^tites,  fur  those  ])iuc  and  etliereal  plea- 
sures which  emanate  entirely  from  the  mind,  that  living 
fountain  of  the  beauteous  and  sublime.  na\ing  enjoy- 
ed the  blessings  of  education,  you  will  hereafter  esti- 
mate this  mental  luxury  as  one  of  its  richest  treasures, 
the  distinguishing  pre-eminence  of  the  intellectual  man, 
over  the  grovelling  son  of  earth — a  possession  whicij 
enables  us  to  escape  for  a  period  beyond  the  reach  of 
power,  pain,  or  poverty,  and  while  it  creates  for  ns  a 
world  of  our  own,  enables  us  to  people  it  with  our  ab- 
sent and  departed  friends.  ^^ 

Coming,  Gentlemen,  as  I  so  recently  have, from  those  •^ 
pursuits,  whicii  arc  unfortunately  now  conducted  in  ^^ 
such  a  manner,  as  merely  to  excite  the  more  scllish  ^ 
feelings  of  the  human  heart,  it  was  with  some  reluctance  (^ 


HON.    Mil-LIVM    B.     SHKrAKI).  O 

and  misgiving,  tliat  I  accepted  your  iiivitatioii  (o  deliver 
an  address  Y^iiliin  llicsc  walls,  sacred  to  the  investiga- 
tion of  trutii,  and  the  ju'oduction  of  boaiily,  the  ultimate 
objects  of  Science  and  Literature.  1  have  thougiit 
]io\ve\er  witl;  Ausonius,  that  what  Cjesai*  judged  I  was 
ecjual  to,  I  might  perform. 

Cur  me  posse  iicgcm,  posse  quod  iile  putat  ! 

Diily  imiiresscd  with  the  difiiculty  of  auswci-ing  your 
lialtetiiig  summons,  and  conscious  that 

Nil  dictu  fceduni  visuque  hoec  limina  tanget 
Iiilia  qi:K  pucr  est, 

J  have  endeavored,  at  humble  distance,  to  imitate  those 
sages  of  old,  who  purified  their  minds  before  they  ap- 
proached the  sac'cd  altars. 

There  arc  few  subjects  wliich  more  vitally  contribute 
to  the  judicious  education  of  tlie  youth  of  our  country, 
)ior  any  which  I  can  conceive  more  interesting  to  this 
assembly,  than  t!:e  relative  importance  of  a  familiar 
acquaitUance  with  Classical  Literature.  It  is  much  to 
be  regretted,  that,  in  our  country  particularly,  such 
learning  is  frequently  undervalued,  and  we  too  often 
hear  it  asserted  in  conversation,  that  the  time  devoted 
by  the  Students  of  our  Universities  to  the  study  of  the 
dead  languages,  is  thrown  away,  or  could  be  more  val- 
uably employed  in  the  acquirement  of  some  art  or  mys- 
tery, which  more  immediately  conduces  to  the  comfort 
or  well-being  of  society. 

If  tills  assertion  were  strictly  tiuc,  there  would  be 
an  end  of  tlic  discus.sion.  In  ^^hat  consists  the  perfec- 
tion of  our  species,  is  a  very  debatcable  question  ;  the 
roaming  aucl  untutored  savage  fjrmly  beiJeves,  that  so 
long  as  tiic  face  of  nature  is  opened  to  his  vrandcrings, 
so  long  as  liC  can  unmolested  pursue  the  deer  upon  the 
aiountain  top,  or  supply  the  fcv/  WHr.ts  of  a  precarious 


6  AUDllESS    DliLiVEUED    BY 

existence,  with  Uic  natural  IVuits  of  tlie  valley,  lie  iully 
(omplies  with  the  end  and  aim  of  his  existence.  The 
indolent  Turk,  reposing  upon  the  lap  of  luxury,  dream- 
ing away  a  life  of  ease  and  sensual  gratification,  be- 
lieves he  fulfils  his  destiny,  so  long  as  all  his  personal 
wants  are  adequately  supplied.  In  our  mechanical  and 
utilitarian  age,  we  hear  it  boldly  asserted,  that  all  is 
vanity  which  contributes  to  tlie  refinement  and  the  ])ol- 
ish  of  society. 

Wiiat  is  Society  r  Is  it  the  mere  aggregation  of  in- 
dividuals, where  numbeis  alone  constitute  merit  ? 
Where  the  human  species  .ire  to  be  enumerated  like  a 
drove  of  cattle,  and  the  only  question  £01  the  considei-- 
ation  of  the  Philosoplier  is,  liov.-  many  can  the  fruits  of 
the  earth  be  made  to  maintain  ?  Or  rather  is  it  not  the 
Corinthian  Capital  which  should  adorn  the  solid  column 
of  sound  existence  ?  Is  it  not  the  charmed  circle  of  civ- 
ilization, where  the  lights  and  shadows  of  life  are  col- 
lected to  a  focus,  ''where  whatsoever  things  are  true, 
whatsoever  things  arc  honest,whatsocver  things  are  just, 
whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  are  lovely,  what- 
soever things  arc  of  good  report,  if  there  be  any  virtue, 
if  there  be  any  praise  in  them,"  they  should  be  collected 
for  the  oi'nament  and  embellishment  of  a  race  which 
the  disposer  of  events  has  placed  in  social  relations. 

Siiould  we  reduce  the  exertions  of  man  to  the  stan- 
dard of  mere  utility,  we  level  the  palace  with  the  hovel, 
we  banish  all  the  luxuries,  and  most  of  the  convenicncies 
of  life,  we  take  from  art  its  ingenuity,  and  from  science 
its  knowledge,  in  fact  we  would  deprive  mankind  ofthc 
belter  part  of  those  faculties  bestowed  upon  us  by  a 
beneficent  Creato)-  for  a  wise  and  useful  pui-posr, 
who — 


iH*N.    WILLfAM   B.    SHKPAHI).  7 

"  Xct  content 
Willi  every  I'ooil  ol  lil'e  to  nourish  man, 
Hast  made  all  nature  beauty  to  his  eye. 
Or  music  to  his  ear." 

Cut  moreover,  wlierc  will  these  objectors  draw  tlit; 
line  of  distinction,  between  t!ic  useful  and  the  ornamental? 
Let  us  look  abroad  through  tiie  history  oi"  our  sjiccies, 
and  what  is  there  in  tiic  highest  refinements  of  art,  and 
th?  costliest  display  of  luxury,  v.hich  has  not  in  some 
measure,  tended  to  soften  <u!r  manners  and  chasten  ©ur 
feelings  ? 

Such  in  trulli  is  the  uncojiqucrable  propensity  of  manj 
to  indulge  the  longing  of  his  nature  for  all  that  is  beau- 
tiful, that  he  cannot  view  tlie  lofty  and  regal  pile,  erect- 
ed by  tyranny,  as  an  abode  and  shelter  for  luxury,  with- 
out losing  in  admiration  of  the  splendid  structure,  all 
recollection  of  the  sighs  and  groans  of  the  thousands 
wlio  labored  in  its  construction. 

And  can  we  truly  say,  there  is  nothing  useful  in  these 
emotions?  Do  they  not  expand  the  mind  and  enlarge  the 
sphere  of  human  pleasures?  In  converse  with  nature 
alone,  apart  from  the  haunts  of  men,  the  invalid,  whose 
mind  is  depressed  with  the  injtisticc  and  folly  of  the 
world,  can  extract  a  healing  balm  for  his  wound,  but  it 
Is  only  amidst  the  stirring  scenes  of  life,  amidst  (he 
triumphs  of  intellect  and  the  embelii.shments  of  art,  that 
the  active  spirit  of  man  is  nerved  for  his  duties  and 
stimulated  to  emulate  the  achievements  of  those  who 
have  preceded  him 

In  the  marble  porchj  where  wisdom  wont  to  talk 
With  Socrates  and  Tully. 

It  is  a  melancholy  reflection,  that  in  our  country,  near 
the  middle  uf  the  niiteteenth  ccntuiy,  we  should  hear  it 
asserted  in  any  respcctabic  ({iiartcr,   that  the  study  of 


8  ADDRF.SS    DKrrVEIlRT*    BV 

Ancient  Litcratdre  was  a  v.a^tc  oi  I'nne.  In  Europe, 
jit  this  (lay,  no  man  wlio  values  I/in  rcpulation  for  san- 
ity, would  venture  to  intuniitc  a  douht  of  the  imi){)rtancc 
of  an  acquaintance  with  Classical  Litcratni'c.  Tiu- 
controvrrsy  upu]i  that  subject,  wiiich  once  disturhcil  the 
literary  world,  has  there  long  since  ceased,  and  the  mu- 
tinous spirits,  by  common  consent,  have  returned  to 
their  allegiance,  and  acknowledged  ti'.eir  fealty  to  the 
illustrious  dead. 

In  our  young  and  ambitious  country,  where  we  seem 
to  think  that  wc  are,  by  instinct,  all  that  man  ever  was, 
or  ever  can  be,  lingering  doubts  arc  yet  sturdily  main- 
tained upon  thi^  imjioi'tant  suliject  by  a  few  fjuerulous 
disputants. 

I  will  not,  Gentlemen,  do  you  the  injustice  to  suppose 
that  you  have  been  such  ungrateful  recipients  of  the 
bounties  of  your  Alma  Mater,  as  to  partake  of  these 
doubts,  or  tliat  any  thing  I  can  sny  can  add  to  your  con- 
viction of  tlie  imp;)rtai;cc  of  a  knowledge  of  this  inter- 
esting subject.  1  could  not,  hov/ever,  resist  the  tempt- 
ation of  adding  my  feeble  testimony,  which  several 
years  experience  in  tiic  world  has  tended  to  confirm,  of 
its  indispensable  importance  in  every  branch  of  the 
liberal  professions,  and  of  its  necessity  to  anything  ap- 
proaching excellence,  in  that  arena  where  it  is  tiic  hope 
of  most  aspiring  American  youths,  at  some  period  of 
their  lives,  ''to  fiesh  the  maiden  sword." 

It  is  true,  we.  have  in  the  liistory  of  our  comitry  many 
bright  examples  of  the  triumph  of  unassisted  intellect : 
rare,  liowcvcr,  are  the  instances,  and  fevr  arc  the  minds 
whicii  casj  rise  superior  to  the  disadvantages  of  f!)rtunc. 
On  tifc  contrary,  wiiat  exalted  mental  excellence  might 
not  these  individuals  have  reached,   if  they   had   been 


lnWy  |i()^>scs-x'il  Mii'i  the  licii  slorcs  (<fcx(tei'i*.'ncc  of  tiioae 
who  had  gone  hefoio  t!iciu  ■  And  moreover,  few  even 
of  these  gifted  jiersons,  gicat  in  their  generation  as  they 
iiudouhtedly  were,  iiave  made  any  permanent  impres- 
sion ii[)nn  the  age  in  which  they  lived.  Tlicy  appear 
among  us  as  those  freaks  of  nature,  the  brilliant  Nortli- 
ern  Lights,  shedding  around  their  own  paths  a  bright  but 
transient  splendour,  but  never  becoming  fixed  stars  In  tiio 
firmament.  No  geniu'^,  i!:)wcver  bright,  no  mental  i)ow- 
crs,  however  acute,  can  ever  icach  tiieir  due  grade  in  this 
intellectual  age,  utilcss  they  arc  fully  possessed  of  the  re- 
corded wisdom  of  those  sages  who  have  gone  bcforo 
them.  The  contrary  opinion  is  a  pernicious  iiercsy  in 
the  education  of  oui'  youth,  which  has  too  often  left  them 
as  gallant  barks  stranded  upon  the  shore,  or  floating 
upon  the  ocean  of  life,  without  rudder  to  guide  or  sails 
to  impel  their  onwaiil  course. 

Genius  is  nothing  more  tlian  the  general  strength  of 
intellect,  accompanied  with  the  power  of  applying  that 
strengtii  to  a  specific  purpose.  Where  this  power  is 
not  called  into  action,  or  strengthened  by  judicious  cul- 
tivation, genius  is  an  useless  and  pernicious  quality.— 
Hence  wc  find  so  many  young  men  of  quick  and  vivid 
perceptions,  satisfied  v*ith  the  mere  glimpses  they  have 
obtained  of  science  or  literature,  turn  away  with  loath- 
ing from  that  patient  ajjplication,  that  methodical  study, 
that  toil  of  yeai's,  which  is  indispensable  to  excellence. 
Some,  perhaps,  may  dazzle  for  a  moment  as  meteors, 
and  after  having  excited  the  rapturous  applause  of  in- 
judicious friends,  and  failing  to  take  by  storm 

"  the  steep 

Where  fame'3  proud  temple  shines  afar," 
2 


10  ADDRESS    DELIVEKED  E  \' 

they  sink  iiiio  despondency,  and  complete  an  inglorious 
manhood  v.itli  an  old  age  of  obscurity. 

Ill  ui-ging  upon  youi*  atte'ition  the  great  importance 
of  cultivating  an  acqiiainlancc  with  that  Litci-aturc, 
which  has  received  the  seal  of  time,  which  has  been  cri- 
ticised and  discussed  by  the  wisdom  of  a  thousand  years, 
I  am  by  no  means  disposed  to  pay  to  antiquity  those 
lionours  which  arc  due  only  to  excellence.  We  must 
beware  lest  we  permit  ourselves  to  be  dazzled  by  a  biil- 
liancy  increased  by  tlie  sl-ades  of  ages,  as  transient 
glimpses  of  the  sun  are  more  apt  to  oppress  the  sight,^ 
when  escaping  from  beneatii  the  mist. 

Bigotry  in  Literature  is  as  fatal  to  improvement  as 
it  is  in  Religion,  and  he  only  is  an  honest  and  faithful 
worshipper  at  the  holy  shi'ine,  who  is  at  peace  with  all 
mankind,  and  who  is  disposed  to  render  equal  and  im- 
partial justice  to  all  his  brethren. 

The  world  of  letters  has  been  justly  styled  a  Repub- 
lic, where  there  should  be  no  monai'ch  but  truth,  no 
rule  of  conduct  but  the  justness  and  fitness  of  things. — 
How  unworthy,  then,  would  it  be  for  us,  in  this  land  of 
tt)lcration,  to  be  the  first  who  had  sacrilegiously  rittwl 
the  tombs  of  the  illustrious  dead,  or  who  should  inhu- 
manly deny  them  those  honors  which  a  grateful  pos- 
terity had  united  in  according  to  them. 

We  are  too  much  in  the  habit,  in  the  United  States, 
while  indulging  in  o[)ium  dreams  of  our  future  wonder- 
ful acliicvcmcnts  and  unsui'passed  magnificence,  to  forget 
those  incipient  steps  by  which  these  great  results  are  to 
be  bi'ought  about.  No  impartial  man  can  deny,  that  in 
the  literature  of  fact,  of  education,  of  politics,  and  of 
practical  science,  the  peojjlc  of  the  United  States  can 
stand  a  fair  compaiison  witli  the  rest  (tf  the  \vorl(}.  Kut 


nuN.  WILLIAM  15     SHEPAIin.  H 

in  tliose  oiMuiinciital  bi-aiiclics  of  litoi'atiiie  or  art.wliicli 
arc  the  results  of  a  high  state  of  civilizatuui,  wc  are  la- 
mentably deficient.  A  deficiency  the  more  hopeless, 
ijecause  we  can  agree  npon  no  standard  by  wiiich  wc 
can  compare  our  youthful  exertions. 

While  wc  arc  told  in  the  lucubrations  of  one  of  our 
I'hilosopiiical  Societies,*  tiiat  "the  ancient  languages 
will  i)ei'isli  under  the  mass  of  knowledge  destined  to  oc- 
cu\)y  the  human  mind,"  wc  find  evejy  fantastic  con- 
ception, every  ridiculous  extra vagaiice  of  the  morbid 
literature  of  England,  where  the  idol  of  to-day  is  the 
jest  of  to-moiTow,  taking  root  and  flourishing  among 
us. 

Our  country  is  in  its  infancy:  let  us  guard  that  infan- 
cy wnth  great  care  and  jealousy,  lest  it  exiiibit  itself 
in  the  dress  of  age,  without  the  formality  and  decorum 
of  manhood,  and  without  its  vigour. 

Infancy  is  prone  to  imitation  j  it  is  a  law  of  nature 
which  cannot  be  obviated.  Lotus  then  select  for  our 
models  those  works  which,  by  the  concurrent  testimony 
of  all  ages,  ha\c  been  acknowledged  to  be  excellent. — 
By  imitation,  I  do  not  mean  that  slavish  copying,whicIij, 
at  apish  distance,  aflccts  the  faults,  more  than  the  beau- 
ties of  its  author.  I  mean  that  frequent  study  and  cri- 
tical examination  wliich  is  necessary  to  imbue  tlie  mind 
with  the  spirit  of  the  author  ;  which  teaches  us  what  is 
worthy  of  admiration,  and  that  which  should  be  avoided: 
in  fact,  that  scarcli  and  scrutiny  wiiich  is  necessary  to 
find  tiie  road  to  excellence,  which  serves  to  indicate  its 
steep  and  thorny  patli,  as  well  as  its  pleasant  retreats 
and  delightful  prospects. 

'  Annual  Oration  before  I  lie  AmcriLan  Philosophical  Society,  Octobci 
1«,  18^:3, 


12  ADDRESS    DELIVERED    BY 

Placed  as  we  are  in  an  age  of  great  mental  activity, 
in  direct  contact  witli  older  nations,  wlio  have  passed 
through  the  vai-ious  gradations  assigned  for  the  human 
mind,  we  must  take  care,  lest,  excited  by  fashion,  or  de- 
pressed by  ridicule,  we  permit  ourselves  to  be  led  astray 
by  some  temporary  idol  of  the  day,  or  deterred  from 
tlie  path  of  reason  by  the  sneers  of  our  cotemporaries- 
Our  youths  iiave  the  spirit  of  tlie  higii  bh>oded  courser; 
Jet  their  training  be  severe,  for  the  race  is  long,  and  the 
prize  is  great. 

Among  those  persons  who  i-cpiidiale  the  study  of  the 
ancient  languages,  yet  who  do  not  consider  Latin  and 
Greek  as  absolutely  asj.ecics  of  black  art,  a  sort  of  magic, 
to  be  shunned  by  all  \\  eli-disi>osed  pcoi>lc — are  to  be  found 
many,  N\ho,  while  they  admit  the  necessity  of  some  sys- 
tem of  study,  give  a  decided  preference  to  the  litei-ature 
of  England,  as  best  adapted  to  our  age,  and  of  more  im- 
mediate utility. 

Were  the  merits  of  the  two  Literatures  undoubtedly 
equal,  the  bare  fact  that  one  is  the  i»['oduction  of  a  liv- 
ing language  upon  which  time  has  not  iixed  the  stamp 
of  fate,  should  make  us  pause  in  its  selection.  Fashion, 
caj)ricc,  and  party  spirit  have  such  direct  influence  up- 
on our  taste,  and  the  judgtnent  of  our  cotcmpoi'aries, 
that  by  universal  consent,  time  is  regarded  as  the  only 
just  aibitei-.  Should  we  adopt  as  our  model,  the  de- 
cisions of  English  taste  and  English  criticism,  we 
would  surrender  our  judgments  to  the  whims  and  pre- 
judices of  an  arbiter,  whose  opinions  are  as  capricious 
as  the  fluctuations  of  her  own  stock  exchange.  We 
would  imbibe  all  the  faults  and  conceits  of  a  Liteiature, 
Mhich  is  now  solely  occupied  ii!  imagini))g  new  enjoy- 
ments and  new  excitements,  for  the  sated  ai»})ctitcs  of  ;i 


HON.    WILLIAM    B.     SHEPAUD.  13 

voluptuous  connnunily,  enervated  by  luxury,  and  offer- 
nig  wealth  and  lioiinrs  most  lavishly  to  the  fortunate 
adventui'or  who  can  contrive  for  it  a  new  })leasure. 

Siioiild  we  i;q  back  to  the  best  days  of  Englisli  Lit- 
erature, the  days  of  Queen  Anno,  and  seek  for  modeLs 
in  the  purity  of  Addison,  the  vigor  of  Swift,  and  the 
rsplendid  diction  of  Bolingbroke,  we  find  here  also  the 
same  parfy  spirit  obscuritig  our  vision,  and  marring 
our  judgment. 

Altiiough  I  would  iu>t  degrade  these  celebrated  men, 
("  who  gave  too  much  to  party  of  tliat  which  was  meant 
for  mankind")  into  the  same  paragraph  with  the  petty 
dealcis  in  slander  of  our  times,  yet  it  must  be  admitted,  to 
the  reproach  of  poor  human  nature,  that  their  writings 
contain  so  much  of  mere  temporary  rivalry,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  sc[iarate  the  dying  from  the  living  particle. 
Whereas,  fhc  defects  and  impurities  of  the  ancient 
writings,  have  long  since  disappeared,  or  been  univer- 
sally acknowledged  and  i^ointed  out;  like  the  body  that 
contained  them,  their  deformities  have  ages  ago  mingled 
with  their  kindred  dust,  and  nothing  remains  to  us  but 
their  j)nre  and  immortal  spirits. 

In  estimating  the  merits  of  the  ancients,  we  are  not 
embarrassed  by  t!ie  favouritism  of  friends  or  the  compe- 
tition of  rivals  ;  their  friendships  and  enmities  are  alike 
MO  more  ;  the  insinuations  of  envy  and  the  invectives 
of  party  arc  no  longer  heard,  and  the  mind  left  to  it- 
self, free  and  unpervcrted,  selects  without  passion  and 
without  prejudice,  Avhatcver  contributes  to  refine  the 
taste,  to  excite  the  intellect,  or  to   purify  tiie  feelings. 

In  speaking  of  Homer,  we  are  told  by  one  of  the  best 
English  critics,  *-  that  nation  after  nation,  century  after 
century,  have  been  able  to  do  little  more  than  trans- 


14  VDDKESS    UKLIVEKED    BY 

pose  his  incidents,  new  name  his  characters,  and  para- 
phrase his  sentiments."  Why  then  should  we  condemn 
ourselves  to  drink  of  the  turhid  and  polhitcd  stream, 
when  wc  can  appi'oach  the  liead  of  the  fountain  and 
vjuaffits  waters  clear  and  undefiled. 

Should  the  Student  seek  among  tlie  lively  French  for 
models,  he  will  find  in  the  hrilliant  era  of  Louis  XIV., 
but  copies  of  the  Classic  originals,  and  what  is  worse, 
he  will  find  genius  fawning  and  flattering  at  the  foot- 
stool of  power,  and  pliilosophy  a  n^ountehank  in  socie- 
ty, with  a  disgusting  persiflage  and  insane  scofting  at 
every  thing  holy  in  Religion  and  sacred  in  morals. 

As  a  question  of  taste  then,  apart  from  other  well 
grounded  considerations,  the  decision  should  he  in  favor 
of  the  ancient  classics.  The  national  mind  will  then 
have  a  fixed  and  undouhted  standard  hefore  it,  not  hlown 
ahout  by  every  wind  of  doctrine;  by  which  means  it 
may  be  weaned  from  that  servile  imitation  of  the  ephem- 
eral Literature  of  Europe,  which  now  trammels  it,  and 
relying  upon  its  ov.ii  sti'ength  it  would  assume  a  confi- 
dent tone,  which  is  indispensable  to  any  valuable  im- 
provement as  well  as  mental  indei)endeiice. 

Closely  connected  as  we  arc  in  language,  feelings  and 
old  associations  with  our  parent  stock,  and  unrivalled 
as  her  Literature  undoubtedly  is  among  the  moderns,  it 
is  yet  much  to  be  regretted,  that  we  import  along  with 
Manchester  Cottons  and  Slieftield  Cutlery,  her  literai-y 
dicta,  which  scarcely  endure  as  long  as  the  fashions  she 
sends  us. 

Such  is  the  despotic  power  exercised  by  Bi'itish  crit- 
icism over  American  Literature,  that  we  are  told  b} 
one  of  our  most  successful  authors  (Mr.  Cooper,)  wI»o 
at  the  same  time  is   the  most  national  in  his  feelings, 


lH>y.    WILLJAM    v..    SHF.PAKn.  T5 

Hi;;t  niii'  litoi'ary  mcii  hold  tiicii'  reputations  at  the  mci'- 
cy  of  the  Bi'itisli  pi-es.s.  Oiii-  boldost  and  most  reaoubt- 
ed  ci'itics  tremble  for  their  decisions,  uiitil  they  hear 
they  are  endorr.ed  on  t'lC  other  side  of  the  water.  They 
remind  us  forcibly  of  Ovids'  description  of  Echo, 

Nee  loqui  prius  ipsa  didicit  nee  otiave  lociuenti. 

The  imprimatur  of  ojic  of  our  most  learned  Univei'sl- 
ties,  would  be  considered  in  tiiose  parts  of  the  Union, 
where  learning  is  most  regarded,  as  literary  treason,  if 
it  were  received  with  a  sneer  by  the  Edinburg  or  Quar- 
terly Reviews. 

As  the  ancient  Greeks  formerly  travelled  into  Egypt 
to  gather  the  learning  of  the  Priests,  so  our  candidates 
for  Literary  Honors  present  themselves  before  the  A- 
merican  public,  qualified  by  a  London  puff,  to  receive 
the  applause  of  their  obedient  countrymen.  We  shall 
never  escape  from  this  disgraceful  vassalage,  until 
some  great  literary  Washington  shall  arise,  whose  in- 
fluence with  his  countrymen  will  be  sufficient  to  achieve 
their  mental  independence. 

In  the  mean  time,  however,  you  may  do  much  ;  you 
can  rouse  the  youth  of  our  country  to  noble  exertions,, 
by  pointing  out  to  them  the  monuments  of  antiquity, 
and  stimulating  their  excrtioi^s  to  rival  their  fame,  by 
telling  them,  as  the  French  Soldiers  were  told  amidst 
the  sands  of  the  desert,  that  from  tlieir  lofty  summits 
a  thousand  centuries  are  regarding  their  actions. 

It  is  very  foreign  from  my  intention,  to  attempt  any 
thing  like  a  comparison  of  the  relative  merits  of  ancient 
and  modern  Literature.  To  do  such  a  subject  justice 
would  require  a  learning  to  which  I  make  no  preten- 
sions.    I  can  barely  throw  out  for  your  consideration^ 


16  ADDRKSiS    OELIVERF.l)    HY 

the  crude  ,"oiic<ptioiis  of  one  wlio  lias  been  scarcely  per- 
mitted  to  stand  upon  tlio  vast  oceati  of  Science,  occa 
sionally  picking  up  upon  its  bcacii,  some  of  those  beau- 
tiful productions  cast  ashore  by  its  waste  of  waters  ; 
but  who  lias  had  neither  the  skill  or  the  courage  to 
launch  his  bark  upon  its  wide  and  limitless  extent,  either 
to  explore  its  known  wonders,  or  to  seek  its  hidden 
treasures. 

It  requires,  however,  but  a  very  suj)erficial  acquain- 
tance witli  the  ancients  to  appreciate  their  distinguisliing 
traits.  If  the  observation  is  correct,  and  I  see  no  rea- 
son to  doubt  its  truth,  '"  that  nothing  can  [»lease  many 
and  please  long,  but  Just  representations  of  general  tia 
ture,'-'  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  tlie  superiority  of  the 
ancient  over  the  modern  Sclioo). 

The  distinction  between  the  classical  and  the  modern 
or  romantic  style  of  Literature,  is  as  vast  as  the  differ- 
ent aspects  of  that  nature  from  whicli  cacli  one  draws 
its  stores,  and  wliich  each  attempts  to  desci'ibe.  The 
one  represents  her  when  she  is  inherusual  attire,  calm, 
sunny,  refreshed  by  tlie  genial  breeze,  abundance  and 
pleasure  joyous  in  iier  train  ;  the  other  represents  her 
freaks  wiien  she  is  disturbed  by  storms,  or  deluged  by 
the  occasional  flood. 

Tlie  one  is  conversant  with  objects  grand  and  beau- 
tiful ill  themselves,  needing  no  trick  or  disguise  to  im- 
pose tliem  upon  the  mind,  but  striking  t!ic  most  unso- 
phisticated  understanding  as  agreeable  to  the  ordinary 
course  of  events  ;  the  othci",  drawing  its  images  almost 
exclusively  from  the  imagination,  shocks  us  with  its 
unnatural  distortions,  and  compels  us  to  lash  our  fancy 
to  its  wildest  mood,  before  wc  can  appreciate  its  beau- 
ties, or  gomprehend  its  object. 


HON.    AVILLIAM    B.    SlIErAUD.  17 

When  Homer  brings  his  Gods  upon  the  stage,  they 
s])cak  an  intelligible  language,  they  reason  as  mortals 
of  a  larger  growtli  j  the  romantic  school  introduces  us 
to  beings,  wliosc  end  and  object  avc cannot  comprehend: 

So  wilheicd  and  so  wild  in  their  attire, 

That  look  not  liiie  the  inhabitants  o'  the  earth, 

And  yet  are  on't. 

Tiie  one  cultivates  the  imaginative  powers  at  the  ex- 
jjcnsc  of  the  other  faculties  of  the  mind,  and  if  by  any 
sudden  concussion,  the  dreamy  votary  of  fancy  should 
be  aroused  from  his  mental  stupor,  he  will  discover 
peihaps  too  late,  that  he  has  njistakcn  the  blossom  for 
the  fruit. 

The  constant  stimulants  which  are  thus  applied  par- 
ticularly in  this  country,  by  means  of  this  Literature  of 
the  imagination,  is  one  of  llic  prominent  causes  of  that 
feverisli  state  of  the  public  mind  among  us,  which  is 
continually  hurrying  the  people  from  one  excitement  to 
another,  to  the  serious  injury  of  the  ordinary  business 
of  life,  as  well  as  of  its  social  comfort  and  domestic 
duties. 

The  atti'activc  style  of  allegory  and  romance,  is  now 
supposed  so  necessary  to  insure  attention,  that  from 
the  horn  book  of  the  child  to  the  grave  and  serious  to- 
pics of  our  holy  religion,  every  idea  must  be  conveyed  to 
tlic  youthful  mind,  through  the  disguise  of  fiction. — 
These  teachers  seem  to  forget,  that  every  thing  valuable 
in  life  or  which  is  destined  to  remain  long  with  us,  is 
the  fruit  of  labour  and  toil ;  by  the  "  sweat  of  the  brow" 
alone,  the  fruits  of  the  earth  are  enjoyed,  and  by  the  la- 
bor of  acquiring  knowledge,  the  mind  becomes  strength- 
ened and  its  powers  enlarged  ;  these  philosophers  will 
be  disappointed  in  looking  for  a  royal  road  to  learning. 


IB  ADOKESS    DliLlVEHEl)     15 ¥ 

The  iir-eat  ditiusiou  of  wcaitli  in  our  limes,  togotliei* 
with  the  indulence,  the  ostentatio!),  and  the  supcj-iicial 
education  which  tiuit  weiilth  has  iticreased,  lias  ceduced 
genius  to  tlie  Hcccssity  of  catering  for  this  disi-ascd  ap- 
petite, and  has  contributeil  very  much  to  stimulate  the 
produc  tion  of  that  light  and  frivolous  literature,  so  ea- 
gerly devoured  atnosig  us,  and  which  is  doing  so  much 
to  debase  and  destroy  the  vigorous  powers  of  tiie  intel- 
lect. 

Hem^e  it  is,  that  tiie  urifortunate  victim  of  a  diseas- 
pa\  imagination  is  incapable  of  aj(|)rociati:ig  the  merits  of 
tliose  pei'sons  who  move  forward  i;i  tlse  career  of  lii'e, 
Nsitli  no  other  guide  fur  their  actions  than  a  sicru  and 
luirompromising  sense  (tf  duty.  Lot  me  advise  you, 
CTentlemen,  to  beware  of  the  insidious  approaches  of 
this  seducing  flatterer,  and  however  nuicii  you  may  be 
ri<iicu!ed,  as  beliind  wliat  is  called  tiic  onward  spirit  of 
the  age,  although  you  may  liear  your  native  Stale  oi» 
tlie  same  ground,  daiiy  assailed  by  t!ie  pu-iy  politicians 
of  tlie  Union,  (those  miserable  i-etailers  of  \ei-biagc,  wlio 
are  alv.ays  ready  to  seli  their  words  and  their  anger, 
wherever  tiiey  are  so  fortunate  as  to  fitid  jjurchasei's) 
remeniber,  that  true  greatness  of  mind  is  the  reward 
of  prudent,  cautiotis,  inflexible  seif-cotitj-ol  ;  the  cr-ea- 
ture  of  impulse,  the  slave  of  his  own  uncontrolled  and 
impetuous  passions,  is  never  a  sure  guide  or  safe  depos- 
itory of  the  liberty  or  tiie  rights  of  olhei's.  Do  not  fall 
into  the  common  error  of  mistaking  notoriety  for  fame; 
one  is  a  needy  mountebank,  who  by  trick  and  grimace, 
cheats  the  gaping  crowd  of  its  huzzas  and  its  pennies  ; 
t!»e  other  is  that  silent,  but  solid  esteem,  which  always 
follows  great  actions  and  noble  sentiments;  the  one  is 
us  invariably  de:>pised  in  the  same  proportion  in  \\hicli 


Iinx.    >VILT,IAM    15.    SHEPAKI).  19 

the  other  is  coveted.  Independently  of  the  considera- 
tions liciTtofarc  p.lludcd  to,  there  arc  i-easons  which  shonid 
peculiarly  attract  the  American  Student  to  tliestudyofthe 
Ancient  languages.  T!ic  Reptiblica  of  Greece  and  Konio 
were  based  upon  tlie  principle  of  the  rights  of  men, 
and  although  this  principle  is  frequently  obscured  by 
their  turbulence  and  lust  of  conquest,  still  theii*  wliolc 
history  illustrates  tlicir  ardent  love  of  liberty,  and  fur- 
iiislics  the  world  with  the  most  sublime  exampies  of  in- 
dividual I'.croisin,  aud  extraordinary  devotion  to  the  love 
of  country. 

T!ie  animating  prjncij)lc  of  the  distiiiguished  men 
Mho  !iave  figured  in  llie  histoi'y  of  Modern  Europe, 
was  loyalty — a  blind  attacliment  to  the  iierson  of  the. 
Prince;  tliey  invariablj'  separate  the  Prince  from  the 
people  ;  witli  then>,  the  Monarch  is  the  State  ;  and  while 
they  manifest  the  most  enthusiastic  devotion,  tiie  most 
extravagant  chivalry  in  the  service  of  the  foi-mer,  they 
seem  to  forget  the  latter  have  any  rights,  or  were  in- 
tended for  any  more  exalted  purpose,  than  to  minister 
to  the  jdeasures  or  to  subserve  the  glory  of  an  individ- 
ual. It  is  true,  a  brighter  day  is  now  dawning  through 
this  gothic  obscurity,  but  it  has  still  the  colouring,  and 
the  impress  of  former  times  and  of  old  associations, 
which  must  for  years  obscure  its  beauty.  That  deep 
and  innate  taint  of  selfish  exclusiveness,  which  is  the 
characteristic  of  all  Monarchial  Governments,  must  for 
years  prevail  amidst  the  ultra  liberalism  of  modern 
Europe.  Wlserc  can  we  find  produced  by  the  force  a- 
lone  of  mere  human  institutions,  such  admirable  speci- 
mens of  the  moral  sublime,  as  is  every  where  to  be  met 
with  in  the  history  of  Rome?  What  student,  whose  soul 
is  in  the  smallest  degree  alive  to  the    *^  divincB  particii' 


20  ADDRESS   DEIilVERED    BY 

lam  aurcb"  which  breathes  through  Livy's  pictured  page,. 
or  the  sterner  annals  of  Tacitus,  but  feels  his  respect  and 
admiration  for  his  species  exalted,  when  lie  reads  of  the 
]ofty  and  disinterested  tone  of  national  character,  so 
common  among  this  extraordinary  people. 

That  grandeur  of  soul  in  adversity,  that  enthusiastic 
love  of  country,  that  innate  dignity  of  character,  which 
relies  upon  its  own  strength,  and  seeks  support  alone 
from  its  own  well  settled  piinciples,  no  where  shines 
forth  with  such  undiminished  lustre,  as  in  the  annals  of 
Rome. 

In  Rome,  the  love  of  liberty  was  not  confined  to  a 
few  individuals  wlio  made  politics  a  trade  ;  itpei'.etrated 
every  grade  of  society,  until  it  embraced  the  nation. 
Tiic  name  of  a  Roman  Citizen  was  the  proudest, 
as  w-ell  as  the  most  respected  title  throughout  the 
world;  the  intensity  of  the  feeling  was  heightened  to  a 
passion  ;  it  absorbed  all  other  considerations.  Shall  we 
turn  from  the  consideration  of  this  peojde,  whose  dis- 
cipline for  their  youth  likewise  '^comprehended  cxery 
thing  that  could  add  strength  to  the  body,  activity  to 
the  limbs,  or  grace  to  the  motions,"  and  grope  our  way 
amidst  the  intrigues  and  venality  of  Courts,  where 

In  soldier,  churchman,  patriot,  man  in  power, 
'Tis  avarice  all,  ambition  is  no  more. 

Apart  from  those  examples  of  individual  and  great 
moral  excellence,  which  continually  attract  our  admi- 
ration in  the  earlier  annals  of  the  Roman  common- 
wealth, the  study  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages  is 
best  calculated  to  eradicate  a  defect  in  our  national  taste, 
which  threatens  to  become  permanent  among  us. 

I  allude  to  that  propensity  among  our  literary  men, 
as  well  as  statesmen,  for  clothing  the  simplest  ideas  in 


HON.   WILLIAM    B.    SHEPARD.  21 

such  a  imiltitudc  of  v.oi'ds,  Vaxt  it  requirCvS  great  labour 
and  ])ei'scvct'ancc  to  liiiiit  out  tlic  graiij  of  wheat  amidst 
the  mass  of  chafif. 

The  study  (.f  iliat  toE.^cness  and  simple  elegance  of 
style,  Avhich  may  he  said  to  be  almost  peculiar  to  the 
ancients,  which  makes  (he  sound  an  ecl-o  to  tiie  sense, 
would  do  much  to  banish  from  among  us  that  barren 
and  voluminous  taste  ^'  which  evaporates  in  a  fol'o  the 
sjiirit  that  wouid  scarcely  suffice  for  an  epigram."  If 
the  object  of  all  mental  efforts,  as  well  oral  as  written, 
is  io  operate  upon  tiie  feelings  or  understanding  of 
others,  it  certainly  becomes  a  matter  of  primary  impor- 
tatice,  that  they  should  be  clothed  in  language  whose 
matter  and  manner  would  strike  the  mind,  and  not  ex- 
haust that  attention  it  was  intended  to  rouse  and  stimu- 
late. Can  wc  suppose  that  the  liistories  of  Heroditus 
or  Tliucydides  would  iiave  received  such  plaudits  from 
the  assembled  multitudes  at  the  Olympic  Games,  or 
lived  down  to  the  remotest  posterity,  models  for  imita- 
tion, or  that  Demosthenes  could  have  raised  the  cour- 
age of  tlic  degenerate  Athenians  almost  to  madness,  had 
they  liave  used  tlie  American  formula  for  achieving  ex- 
cellence, and  announced  to  that  spiritual  multitude,  that 
they  were  about  to  go  "at  length  into  the  subject?" 
Tiiis  morikish  taste  for  measuring  literature  by  its 
length,  is  marring  its  influence  and  narrowing  the 
sphere  of  its  exertions,  and  in  oi.r  State  documents  and 
business  papers  is  an  intolerable  grievance,  as  well  as 
a  great  waste  of  time.  It  is  by  no  means  extravagant 
to  say,  that  the  study  of  classical  liteiature  does  more 
to  invigorate  the  understanding,  to  chasten  the  taste, 
to  elevate  the  tone  uf  honorable  ambition,  by  its  noble 
example,  than  any  olhe'.    mental   pursuit.     It  imparts 


22  ADDKH'S    DELIVKllER  UT 

to  its  youllifiil  vo(ai'ie.s  energetic  ideas,  and  that  prac- 
tical common  sense  not  to  be  met  willi  in  (lie  frivolous 
literutiiie  of  the  day,  \vliich  cncivatcs  the  nnderstand- 
ing,  by  keeping  the  imagination  constantly  and  inju- 
rioii.sly  excited. 

Proud  luul  turbaiont  Rome,  tlic  terroi*  of  mankind, 
tiic  invincible  of  nalion,';,  bov.ed  before  the  civilization 
of  €-rcece,  and  became  a  captive  to  her  slave.  Tiie 
history  of  t!ic  v.r.rld  attests  the  fact,  that  wljcrevor 
the  Jiteraiurc  of  Greece  has  been  cnitivatcd,  a  liigh 
state  of  civilization  has  been  prodwced.  It  was  its  in- 
flnencc  which  rolled  back  t!ic  tori'cnt  of  Golliic  igno- 
rance and  barhari.sr.i,  which,  during  t!ic  middle  ages, 
covered  tiie  fairest  portion  of  Enrop;^  and  at  one  time, 
threatened  to  cuvci(!]!c  the  world  in  darkness.  Arabia 
and  Egypt  have  bencrittcd  mankind,  by  tlic  s(udy  of 
the  ex;ict  and  severer  sciences;  but  among  those  na- 
tions civilization  trembled  as  a  star,  and  never  showed 
fortij  with  meiiuian  splendour.  Tiieir highest  aspirations 
were  the  rude  cH'oris  of  barbaric  ])om]),  or  the  cumbrous 
magnificence  of  a  ricli  but  tasteless  si)]endour.  The 
Pyramid  of  Egypt  will  stand  an  object  of  wonder  to 
posterity,  and  a  monument  of  the  coarse  and  uncouth 
labour  of  itspeojde,  "  rudis  indigeslaqne  violes.^*  With- 
out being  accused  of  depreciating  the  exact  sciences,  I 
trust  I  may  be  permitted  to  remark,  that  their  exclu- 
sive study  produces  an  unsocial  feeling,  and  abstracts 
the  mind  too  much  from  that  attrition  in  society,  which 
is  necessary  to  poiisij  and  refine  our  coarse  natures. — 
The  universal  burst  of  indignant  sympathy  Mdiicli  per- 
vaded the  civilized  v/orld,  in  the  late  contest  of  Greece 
for  freedom,  wr.s  a  sincere  ts'ibute  of  deep-felt  respect 
for  lier  departed   greatness.      It   was  not  disgu'st  at 


HON.   V.  ILLIAM  a.  SHiiPAUD. 


Turkish  bail>;;t  ity,  it  was  not  sii^^ply  a  pure  siiiiit  of 
Christian  ciiarity  loi'  cpfue-jscd  hrcLhrcti,  th;it  roused 
the  succma-  oi"  Eiu-oi,c  and  Aiuctica ;  it  was  the  recol- 
lection of  her  s;iges,  uuu  tlie  renown  ol'  her  heroes  j  it 
was  the  spirit  of  her  bs'igiitcr  dr.y;;,  imb'hed  in  our  }  ontli, 
whicii  called  upon  us, with  a  paresit's  claim,  to  dciend  our 
greatest  beneractur.  We  feit  indignant  that  the  ''  clime 
of  battle  and  of  song  ■*  should  be  tro;i  by  tlic  savage  and 
(he  stranger.  I  cannot,,  Geiitieincr.,  better  comper.sate 
you  for  the  time  I  am  consuming,  than  by  urging  thi3 
subject  uj>on  ytur  atlcntion,  in  the  sjiirit,  if  not  in  t!io 
lai'gUiigc  of  o!;c  of  iho  ruost  ilinsirious  racn  of  an'.iquity ; 
"  These  studies  (cays  Ciceio)  are  t'to  food  of  youlh,  and 
the  consolation  oi  age ;  they  adorn  prosperity,  aiid  aro 
the  comfort  ar:d  rciugc  of  advCio'ly  ;  i!.cy  cii'C  jilcasaut 
at  home,  and  no  iiiciunbrancc  abroad  ;  they  accompany 
us  at  nightj  in  our  travels  and  our  rural  retreats." 

Ee  not  discouraged  by  any  uiulcrities  ;  and  do  not 
for  a  n»omcnt  pcruait  yourselves  t)  di;ubt  whetiier  our 
age  (»r  country  should  venture  into  tlte  list  of  f.iir  and 
honorable  competition.  "'Tis  p.ot  the  space  het\^cen 
Eabycc  ar.d  Cnacion  which  aio'.ic  produces  bra'iC  men; 
but  vvheiever  tiie  youth  are  ashamed  of  what  is  base, 
res(jUitc  in  a  good  cause,  and  mose  inclined  to  avoid 
disgrace  than  danger,  there  arc  the  men  v.h;)  are  terri- 
ble to  their  enemies.'' 

Whatever  r^iay  be  the  various  opinions  entertained 
upon  the  subjects  {)r<;pcrto  occupy  t!iO  Academic  coui'se, 
the  object  of  all  of  them  is  ultimately  the  saujc,  the  for- 
mation of  a  judicious  system  !;f  cducatloii.  Wlieihcr  this 
object  can  be  attained  simply  by  storing  the  mind  with 
a  multitude  of  detaclicd,  iudcpcndciit  ideas,  whether 
those  ideas  be  classical  or  scientific,  or  both;  Is  an  eii- 


I«». 


24  ADDRESS    DELIVERED    BY 

qiiiry  well  worth  the  serious  attention  of  all,  not  ojily 
of  those  who  are  occupied  in  the  education  of  the  youth 
of  the  country,  hut  of  every  individual  who  feels  an  in- 
terest in  the  permanent  welfare  of  tiiat  country.  Edu- 
cation, to  he  useful,  must  be  practical;  it  must  culti- 
vate the  moral  faculties,  as  well  as  the  intellectual.-— 
Where  the  latter  are  exclusively  regardeil,  we  merely 
enlarge  the  power  of  mischief  of  bold,  had  men,  and 
render  that  a  curse  which  was  intended  to  be  a  blessing 
to  society.  That  great  intellectual  endowments  cannot 
exist  witli  great  moral  depravity,  is  a  theory  rather 
flattering  to  the  vanity  of  man,  tlian  founded  upon  an 
accurate  knowledge  of  his  history.  The  object  of  edu- 
cation, then,  should  be  to  eradicate  those  vicious  pro- 
pensities, to  form  correct  moral  and  religious  prin- 
ciples, and  to  train  the  mind,  by  judicious  cultivation, 
so  as  to  apply  those  principles  to  the  benefit  of  society. 
Wherever  this  social  benefit  has  not  resulted  from 
education,  we  may  rest  assured  some  material  link  in 
the  chain  was  wanting,  some  delusioii  of  vanity  or  ig- 
norance has  interposed,  and  sacrificed  the  permanent 
welfare  of  society,  to  tlic  temporary  aggrandizement, 
or  the  false  and  hollow  glory  of  the  individual.  In 
what,  I  would  ask,  is  the  State  benefitted  by  the  edu- 
cation of  its  youtii,  if  they  are  sent  abroad  into  the 
world,  endowed  with  all  the  learning  of  the  schools,  and 
even  witli  their  moral  faculties  strengthened  witli  the 
greatest  care  and  attention,  if  all  tliis  mass  of  knowl- 
edge is  to  remain  a  dead  letter,  tiirough  its  unfortunate 
possessor  being  ignorant  how  it  should  be  applied  to 
the  business  and  pursuits  of  men  ?  Knowledge,  says 
an  eminent  philosopher,  (D.  Steuart)  does  not  depend 
upon  the  number  of  ideas  we  may  have,  but  upon  th.c 


inunii)et' of  rel.itujiis  we  may  perceive  between  them. — ■ 
There  is,  ihuihtless,  a  beautiful  order  and  fosiiiectiou 
of  depesidencios  thfougiiout  nature,  which  is  invisible  to 
our  ordinary  perceptions,  but  wliicli  is  not  placed  so  far 
beyond  tiic  reacli  of  the  mind  of  man,  that  it  cannot  be 
penetrated  and  made  ultimately  subservient  to  his  hap- 
piness and  prosperity.  It  teaches  us  that  every  thing 
we  pei'ceive,  from  the  smallest  grain  of  sand  washed 
by  the  sea,  up  to  tliifbrigitest  luminary  of  the  skies,  is 
bound  up  in  one  universal  whole,  governed  by  fixed 
and  unchangeable  laws,  connected  with  each  other  by 
unseen  but  indissoluble  ties,  and  all  tending  to  one  com- 
mon end.  The  mind  of  man,  for  a  wise  purpose,  has 
been  placed  in  the  midst  of  this  great  whole,  with  fac- 
ulties sufficient,  by  judicious  cultivation,  to  perceive  its 
beautiful  order,  to  scan  its  wonderful  relations,  to  ex- 
tract from  its  inimitable  perfection,  the  purest  wisdom 
and  the  soundest  rules  to  guide  the  motions  of  his  lesser 
world.  It  leaches  us  that  sublime  trutii,  worth  all  other 
human  knowledge,  to  follow  nature,  as  the  only  unerr- 
ing guide  for  our  limited  faculties. 

Obvious  as  this  truth  now  is,  familiar  as  household 
words,  as  it  has  become  in  the  mouth  of  tlie  merest  tyros  in 
science,  still  the  ignorance  of  it  kept  the  world  for  years 
groping  in  darkness.  Until  the  genius  of  Bacon  had 
taught  mankind,  by  the  slow  but  sure  process  of  induc- 
tive reasoning,  to  go  abroad  into  the  world  and  explore 
the  mysteries  of  nature,  the  mindof  nian,  trammelled  by 
fancies  and  conceits,  endeavored  by  a  vaiia  philosojdiy, 
Avhicli  drew  from  its  own  resources  alone,  to  account  for 
all  the  operations  of  nature  ;  hypothesis  succeeded  liy- 
pothesis,  i)aradox  was  piled  upon  paradox,  until  the 
intellect  was  inextricably  confounded  by  its  own  inter- 
4 


26  ADDRESS   DELIVERED    BY 

minable  jargon.  It  was  the  glory  of  Bacon  to  have 
rescued  philosophy  from  the  cells  of  the  monks,  and  to 
have  introduced  her  to  the  world  without.  This  nat- 
ural order  and  connexion  cxteiuls  likewise  to  our  mo- 
ral being,  whose  judicious  cultivation  is  essential  to  tho 
complete  symmetry  and  perfection  of  the  whole  plan  of 
creation.  I  call,  says  Miltfxi,  a  complete  and  gener- 
ous education,  tliat  which  fits  a  man  to  perform  justly, 
skilfully  and  magnanimously,  all  the  offices,  both  pub- 
lic and  private,  of  peace  and  war.  Let  this  wise  in- 
junction be  fulfilled,  let  education  become  the  handmaid 
of  nature,  and  man,  fasliioiied  in  the  image  of  his  crea- 
tor, endowed  witli  various  faculties  vastly  supei'ior  to 
all  other  created  beings,  will  stand  an '' emanation  of 
the  all  beauteous  mind,"  upon  tlie  apex  of  this  magni- 
ficent creation,  with  an  intellect  ei-ect  and  looking  hea- 
venward as  the  body  that  enshrines  it.  I  must  for- 
bear trcsjiassing  much  longer  upon  your  attention,  lest 
I  become  liable  to  the  charge  which  I  have  reprobated, 
and  swell  into  a  dissertation,  that  wliich  was  designed 
for  a  familiar  address.  There  is,  however,  another 
subject  closely  allied  with  the  one  to  which  I  have  en- 
deavored to  call  your  attention,  and  u})on  which  I  can- 
not resist  the  temptation  of  st»  suitable  an  opportunity, 
of  making  a  few  passing  remarks.  I  allude  to  a  system 
of  popular  education.  It  must  be  apparent  to  tlie  most 
superficial  observer,  that  the  entire  Southern  Country 
is  deplorably  deficient  in  the  men-  *  of  disseminating 
education  generally  among  tlic  people.  Of  Colleges, 
we  have  an  abundance,  where  those  persons  who  have 
the  means  can  be  educated.  But  of  those  incipient  pii- 
mary  schools,  which  should  cari-y  mental  aliment  to 
the  door  of  the  ])oorcst  citiy.en  ((f  tlie  republic,  we  are 
extremely  deficient. 


HOX.  AVILLIAM  B.  SHEPART).  27 

W(i  arc  trying  in  this  Country  an  extraordinary 
cx[)orimenl  in  (iovcrnniciit,  an  experiment  wiiicli  gives 
to  numbers  the  entire  and  almost  exclusive  control  over 
the  lives,  tlie  property,  and  the  vvell  being  of  the  com- 
munity. Is  it  not  then  absurd  to  contend,  that  it  is  not 
the  duty  of  the  State  to  see  that  every  citizen  is  qual- 
ified by  education,  to  exercise  these  delicate  and  im- 
portant trusts.  Lycurgus,thc  wisest  of  lawgivers,  when 
he  undertook  tlie  reformation  of  the  morals  of  Sparta, 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  system  in  the  education  of 
every  citizen  who  might  by  any  possibility,  be  called 
into  the  service  of  his  country.  Tlie  simplest  hus- 
bandman prepares  his  ground  witli  care,  before  he  eji- 
trusts  to  it  iiis  seed,  oi'  before  he  expects  a  products- 
Is  it  not  more  absurd  to  expect  order,  sobriety  of  de- 
portment, and  all  the  virtues  of  a  good  citizen,  where 
every  wild  passion,  every  vicious  propensity,  engendered 
by  pride  and  fostered  by  ignorance,  have  been  permit- 
ted to  take  root,  and  choke  by  their  noxious  exuberance, 
the  few  good  seed  which  a  generous  nature  may  have 
l)lanted ,  The  age  of  power  and  force  is  passing  away, 
that  of  artifice  and  ciiicane  is  succeeding  ;  the  race 
is  no  longer  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong; 
let  the  understandings  of  the  people,  by  which  alone 
liiey  can  be  effectually  controlled,  be  correctly  cultiva- 
ted, and  our  fair  land  will  no  longer  be  convulsed  by 
those  scenes  of  turbulence  and  violence,  which  threat- 
en disgrace,  if  not  destruction  to  our  institutions.— 
I  cannot  for  a  moment  suppose  that  the  apathy  which 
exists  in  the  South,  upon  this  vitally  important  subject, 
arises  from  that  cold  and  selfish  philosophy  which  doubts 
the  capacity  of  the  people  for  self-government,  or  which 
fears  the  impuls*  which  general  education  would   give 


28  JlDDRESS    DELTVEKED    BY 

to  the  community.  Those  qualities  which  etinohle  our 
natures,  tlo  not  shine  aloft  like  constellations,  the  pos- 
session of  a  gifted  few,  merely  to  attract  ati  idle  gaze; 
an  all  bountiful  an<l  beneficent  Cieatoi-  has  scattered 
them  at  the  feet  of  man,  like  flowers,  needing  only  his 
culture,  that  they  may  spring  up  to  adorn  the  humble 
cottage  as  well  as  the  lordly  palace.  The  neglect  of 
general  education,  which  prevails  in  the  South,  is  not 
only  a  reproach  to  our  legislation,  hut  a  gross  aban- 
donment of  those  principles  of  eriuality,  we  so  strenu- 
ously profess;  for  it  is  a  ridiculous  mockery  to  talk  of 
an  equality  between  ignorance  and  knowledge.  While 
©ua*  social  relations  are  embittered,  and  the  recesses  of 
the  domestic  circle  daily  penetrated  by  the  angry  dis- 
putes engendered  by  the  evanescent  and  frivolous  poli- 
tical topics  of  the  hour,  it  is  melancholy  to  reflect  that 
those  subjects  vitally  essential  to  the  purity  and  exist- 
ence of  our  institutions,  can  scarcely  attract  a  passing 
notice.  North  Carolina  has  laboured  under  peculiar 
disadvantages  upon  this  subject.  The  Revolution  found 
her  just  issuing  from  a  recent  internal  contest,  likewise 
bleeding  fn)m  the  privations  and  sufferings  of  an  Indian 
war,  maintained  nearly  single  handed  by  a  sparse  pop- 
ulation, with  exhausted  resources  ;  she  yet  went  hero- 
ically through  that  severe  struggle  without  a  murmur. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  she,  with 
other  Soutiiern  States,  with  a  liberality  unequalled  in 
iiistory,  surrendered  to  the  General  Government  not 
only  the  most  profitable  sources  of  revenue,  but  an  im- 
mense Western  domain,  for  which  she  had  so  dearly  paid. 
Sheared  thus  voluntarily  of  her  strengh,  she  has  been' 
left  friendless  and  unaided,  to  struggle  with  exhausted 
resaujces.      Ha])pily,  by  great  industry  and  economy,. 


HOX.  Wir.LT.VM  B.  SlIEPARD.  29 

conteniliiig  witli  extreme  difliculties,  slic  lias  conic  out 
from  the  crucible  of  the  Revolution,  witli  her  honour 
untouched  ;  and  she  can  now  perceive  a  brighter  future 
through  the  dreary  past.  You,  Gentlemen,  blessed 
with  all  the  advantages  of  education,  arc  about  going 
forth  into  the  world,  many  of  you,  doubtless,  to  occupy 
stations  in  life,  where  your  example  and  your  exertions 
may  exercise  vast  influence  upon  your  countrymen.  Do 
not  forget  that  to  your  residence  here,  to  the  sources  of 
knowledge  which  you  have  here  amply  displayed  before 
you,  must  be  attributed  the  larger  part  of  all  your  fu- 
ture success  and  happiness  in  life.  Seek,  then,  to  ren- 
der these  blessings  universal;  labour  to  bestow  upon 
your  less  fortunate  fellow-citizens  the  advantages  you 
have  enjoyed. 

Wherever  the  cause  of  literature  a;ul  education  is  in- 
volved, be  found  their  firm  friends,  their  steady  and  un- 
yielding advocates  ;  and  rest  assured,  in  doing  so,  you 
will  do  more  to  advance  t!ic  cause  of  virtuous  freedom, 
and  to  benefit  your  country,  tiian  by  ages  of  barren  and 
idle  declamation  about  liberty  and  equality: 

For  Earth  is  sick, 
And  Heaven  is  weary  of  the  hollow  sounds 
Which  men  and  nations  use,  whene'er  they  speak 
Of  Truth  and  Justice. 


•J?^ 


